


Grief Never Stops

by chvotic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Children, Comfort/Angst, Crying, Death, Father-Son Relationship, Funeral, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Harley Keener is a good friend, Heavy Angst, Hurt Peter Parker, Identity Reveal, Not Happy, POV Peter Parker, Parent-Child Relationship, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Sad, Sort of happy ending, Strangers, Teen Peter Parker, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-25 23:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18711937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvotic/pseuds/chvotic
Summary: For Peter, it was constant. First, his parents, then Uncle Ben, and now Tony.After a few moments, Peter managed to glance at who was beside him. A teenager, a stranger, clad in all black with a haunted expression on his face. He wasn't looking at Peter, but rather out at the lake, his eyes wet with unshed tears. Peter wasn't sure how this boy knew Tony, but he knew that their grief was similar.Or, in which, Harley comforts Peter at Tony's funeral, despite the fact that they don't know each other.





	Grief Never Stops

**Author's Note:**

> endgame spoilers if you somehow got onto here without reading the summary
> 
> hi, i need peter and harley to be friends. when i saw harley at the funeral i cried so hard, and then i thought of this idea. peter, harley and morgan are all tony's kids, so, i thought this was an okay idea??
> 
> i also need harley to be the next iron man 
> 
> enjoy this angst

Peter couldn't believe that it was real.

He stood amongst all of his childhood heros, May by his side, on the verge of tears as he mourned. His senses were buzzing, a heavy feeling of sadness resting in the air, everyone standing in silence. Clad in black, Peter stood behind Pepper, Morgan, Happy, Rhodey, and Steve Rogers. All the people who meant most important to Tony. 

May placed her hands on his shoulders, a comforting touch, though that did nothing to calm his aching heart. His lips were pressed in a firm line as he tried to hold it all together, squeezing his own hands to try and comfort himself.

His third father figure, gone. Right in front of him.

Peter didn't really remember what had happened to him, but he knew it had been five years since he had gone up into space. He remembered fighting Thanos, he remembered Peter Quill losing it and ruining their plan. Most things after that were blank, but Peter didn't blame Quill for Tony's death. He had no idea what went on in the years between, or the seconds for them. It felt like he had passed out in Tony's arms, and when he woke up, Tony was gone.

He had been gone for five years, and he hadn't even realised. May had aged, half of his school was gone and graduated, everyone who hadn't disappeared had been aged five whole years.

So technically, Peter should be twenty-one.

His eyes burned with tears he was trying desperately to contain, staring out at the beautiful lake in front of him, only just able to see the wreath floating on the calm water through the gaps between the people in front of him. His hands were shaking, as was his bottom lip, trying so desperately to keep it all together. He had to keep it together for Tony, he had to keep it together for everyone around him. But his control was slipping, the tears were coming faster, and he had to look down when Pepper and Tony's daughter, Morgan, began making their way back to the house.

He couldn't look at the five-year-old daughter of Tony Stark when she walked past him, he couldn't look at her without wanting to burst into tears. She was so similar to his mentor, his father figure, and he felt a stab of pain every time he saw her. Peter could hardly believe that Tony had a child, feeling like just five seconds between the time Thanos snapped his fingers, and the time that Bruce Banner snapped his. Peter still didn't know most of what had happened, but he had been told how they reversed the 'snap'.

Morgan had lost her father far too early, Peter had also lost his. He never got to tell Tony how much he meant to him.

He screwed his eyes shut, jumping when a hand laid on his shoulder, slowly trying to gather his composure as he looked up to see who it was. It was Steve Rogers. The man had tears in his eyes, his jaw was set, his touch comforting. Peter was beyond the point of freaking out about his heros, looking up at Captain America with teary eyes. The man didn't say anything, giving Peter a small nod and a slight shaky smile, before following the rest of them away from the water. Peter's tears were seconds away from falling, clenching his fists so tight he could feel his nails digging into his skin.

"Come on, honey." May whispered, trying to lead him away. Peter didn't budge.

"I can't." Peter whispered, looking out at the water. "C-Can I just, uh, h-have a moment?"

"Of course. I'll be inside, come in when you're ready, sweetie." May pressed a kiss to his temple before turning, leaving him alone and walking back into the house. Slowly and shakily he walked over to the small pier, stopping at the end. Tony's wreath was idling along the smooth water, an old arc reactor placed in the middle of the flowers, reading Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

The dam broke, and the tears began to fall. He raised a fist to his mouth, holding his elbow with his other hand, trying his hardest not to sob. His chest shuddered, shoulders shaking as he remembered everything he knew and loved about Tony, about Mr. Stark, about his mentor and his father figure. Peter had gone through a lot of loss in his life, and he felt like this was the tipping point. He wasn't sure if he could handle anything else.

He had been so relieved when Tony hugged him, in the midst of battle, knowing that something had gone down beyond his imagination. But they were finally there. 

Only later, did he really get the full story, and wished he had known then. He wished he had known so he could tell Tony how much he meant to him, how he thought of him as a Dad, or to get the gauntlet himself and snap his own fingers. Peter would have done it in a heartbeat if that meant that Tony would get to live on, with his little family, a family Peter hadn't known about the either. Tony had really become a Dad, but had it all ripped away from him.

Peter would never know if Tony thought of him as his son.

He couldn't help the sob that wracked his entire chest when he had that thought, wishing that he could give Tony one, last hug. No more Friday afternoons in the lab, no more quality time with his mentor, no more Tony. 

No more Tony.

He was gone, and this time he wasn't coming back.

He sobbed again, tearing his eyes away from the wreath, looking up at the sky instead. He wondered if Tony was up there, if he could see him right now, if he was with his parents and Uncle Ben. 

"I miss you, Mr. Stark." Peter whispered, quiet enough that he was hardly speaking, before burying his face in his hands and sobbed. He was hardly aware of the footsteps approaching him, not noticing there was anyone there until they stopped beside him. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't stop the sobs from coming out. Once the grief started, it wasn't going to stop. Did it ever? 

For Peter, it was constant. First, his parents, then Uncle Ben, and now Tony.

After a few moments, Peter managed to glance at who was beside him. A teenager, a stranger, clad in all black with a haunted expression on his face. He wasn't looking at Peter, but rather out at the lake, his eyes wet with unshed tears. Peter wasn't sure how this boy knew Tony, but he knew that their grief was similar.

What was the point in living in a world without Tony Stark in it?

"He broke into my garage." The boy spoke up when Peter finally managed to get ahold of his sobs, though that didn't mean the tears stopped. Peter listened. "The whole world thought he was dead. He had the suit and everything, pretty fucking battered up, but it was still the real Iron Man suit. He wanted a sandwich."

Peter didn't reply, his eyes finding the wreath again. He was sent into another bout of uncontrollable tears, looking anywhere but the water and the teen standing beside him.

"I haven't seen him since two thousand and thirteen. He re-vamped my entire garage, you know." The boy continued after a long round of silence, Peter seeing his head turn in his peripheral vision. The stranger was looking at him now. "What about you?"

"A f-few days ago." Peter whispered, chewing on his lip between sentences. "I watched him..."

"Oh." The boy replied, his voice shaking a little. "What's your name?"

"P-Peter."

"Harley."

The boy, Harley, rested a hand on his shoulder. "Want to go inside?"

Peter shook his head. "I never got to tell him I loved him like a Dad."

Harley didn't answer for a few moments, Peter too out of it to care what he was even saying anymore. He sniffed, wiping his nose and then his eyes, feeling sick. He wanted to vomit, he wanted to scream and he wanted to cry. He didn't want to be Spider-Man anymore, what was the point? The suit would remind him of Tony. Karen would remind him of Tony. Everything would remind him of Tony.

"I bet he knew it." Harley said, his hand squeezing Peter's shoulder just a little. "I know we don't know each other, but I can be your shoulder if you want. I don't know anyone here."

Peter edged closer to the other teen, seeking comfort, despite knowing he had no literal idea who this boy was. But they both shared something in common, and that was their grief over Tony, and Peter was letting it consume him. It felt like he was dying, it felt like he was trapped under all those tonnes of concrete again with no one coming to save him. He knew he had May inside, waiting for him, waiting to comfort him and tell him it was okay. He didn't think he could stand going in that house again. It smelt like Tony, Tony's things were there, everything reminded him of Tony.

And, nothing was okay anymore.

Peter was shorter than Harley, short enough to be able to rest his head on the other boy's shoulder comfortably. Peter simply leaned on him, positioning his arms so his hands were gripping at Harley's shoulders as they hugged, staring out at the water in front of them. Tony was gone, and he really wasn't coming back this time.

"How long did you know him for?" Harley asked after another few minutes, Peter heaving in a deep breath.

"Since twenty-sixteen." Peter replied, feeling his face screw up in pain as he remembered the first time Tony Stark showed up in his apartment, needing his help to fight Captain America. Peter knew that the majority of the remaining Avengers knew who he was now, how could he not? He had been there, mask broken, crying for Tony as life left his battered and burned body. They had watched him lose his fourth most important person in his life, they had seen him without the mask. "I-I'm Spider-Man."

Harley tensed for a second before relaxing. "You fought the Avengers at Germany?"

Peter nodded. "He needed my help."

"Sounds like him." Harley mumbled, taking in a deep breath like Peter had done just moments before. "I wish I could have helped. I could have used a suit or something. But I guess I died like the rest, huh?"

"I did too." Peter replied, not even weirded out by the fact that he was crying on a stranger. He didn't know if he could handle May's comforting words, her comforting touches, which all too reminded him too much of Tony. They may have not hugged often, but there was those little things that would always brighten Peter's day. Like an arm around the shoulder, a ruffle of his hair. Peter's eyes burned again, his chest constricting with grief. "I can't believe that he's gone."

"He still contacted me." Harley said, squeezing Peter just that little bit tighter. "Asked me how school was, if the dickheads were still bullying me. He mentioned you a few times, invited me to the Compound. I could never make it because mom wouldn't let me."

Peter couldn't answer, because he was sobbing again. He was sobbing on a stranger, who was hugging him back, letting him cry it out. He hardly registered when Harley pulled away, set a hand on his back and began gently pushing him in the direction of the house. Peter moved, he forced his legs to work, keeping his head down as they made their way up the steps. He knew the room went silent when he entered, he could see Captain America crying too. 

He was lead to a couch, May was beside him, Harley on the other. He didn't want to be here anymore.

He rested his head on May's shoulder, unable to stop his sobs, hardly embarrassed that the Avengers were watching him break down. Nothing mattered now that Tony wasn't here.

Surges and surges of emotions began rushing to his chest when little Morgan Stark padded over to him, her fingers on her mouth as if she were nervous, her face dry. Peter knew why she wasn't crying. She had no idea that she would never be seeing her Dad again, she was far too young to understand why everyone was sad and her father wasn't here.

"Peter?" She had whispered, leaning against his knees. "Daddy told me abou' you."

Peter couldn't answer, because he was breaking down. Morgan didn't seem to care.

"He told me that you're my big brother." Peter's chest hurt. "And Spida-Man. But that's a secret!"

Not really, anymore.

Morgan had her arms raised, and Peter hesitantly lifted her into his lap. She cuddled into him, resting her head on his shoulder, Peter hugging her tight. He still couldn't say anything, registering that Harley had a hand on his knee and May was kissing his temple. Peter knew from that moment, that he would protect Morgan Stark for the rest of his life, until he didn't need to anymore.

A few days later, Peter was back in school, trying his hardest not to break down at any given second. He and Harley had become friends, the boy lived in Tennessee, and had gone back there a day after the funeral. He would be coming back on the weekend to see Peter, the two of them going to see Pepper and Morgan. Peter didn't want to believe that this world was real, that Tony was dead, and that he would never seen him again. Even Flash had backed off, everyone giving him looks when he returned to school with bloodshot eyes and black bags underneath them.

He only knew half of his class. Flash, MJ, Ned, a few others. The other half had already graduated.

He cried when he saw Pepper, both her and Morgan wrapping him up in a hug. Morgan hugged his legs, Pepper hugged his torso, and Harley had his hand resting back on Peter's shoulder. Pepper was crying, Peter could tell that Harley was trying to keep it together.

It felt like things would never get better.

Almost a year later, he realised that things could get better. Peter knew that he would never heal, that he would never be able to get over the death of his fourth father. He had never truly gotten over his parents, or Uncle Ben. He always grieved, it was continuous. But it was getting a little better.

Tony had left messages for Peter and Harley, and it took them both two months to actually listen to them.

They had sat with each other during, Peter had cried when Tony did in fact think of him as his son.

Tony handed the Iron Man name to Harley, only if he wanted it.

Along with the bad times, good times came too. Harley's first try at controlling the Iron Man suit, almost crashing if it wasn't for FRIDAY taking a last minute decision to direct him away from the wall of the new Compound. Peter had been there, clad in his Spider-Man suit, Ned and MJ also watching from the ground, laughing and then panicking when Harley's mask opened and he promptly vomited all over the concrete. Harley had joined their little friend group, despite the fact that they didn't go to school together. 

Even after all these months, Peter wasn't okay. But he was better.

He had his friends, he had his Aunt, he had Pepper and Morgan.

But he didn't have Tony.

Things would never be one hundred percent okay, and he knew that. 

Grief never stops, no matter how much he wanted it to.

**Author's Note:**

> not really a happy ending


End file.
